Latest / In The Pocket / Ep. 5: MSU, UM start 2-0, Michigan MAC check in post Week 2

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Ep. 5: MSU, UM start 2-0, Michigan MAC check in post Week 2 · In The Pocket

• Andrew Graham: Hello and welcome back to another episode of In the Pocket, a college football podcast covering FBS action across the state of Michigan. It is week three, week four. Week four. And I am or week three rather. Gosh, I am all Connor Earegood: Week three, week three. Andrew Graham: over the place. I am I am here, Andrew Graham joined with Connor Eargood once more. we're gonna recap some of the weekends action. Connor, how are you doing? Connor Earegood: Doing good, doing good. Early Monday morning, nice and rainy, getting into fall weather, sweater weather. Andrew Graham: It's raining. You are it's raining in Flint? Connor Earegood: It was, I think. Andrew Graham: It's it is like I can't even see a cloud in mid Michigan, so this is how you all learn, at least for Connor Earegood: well. Whoops. Andrew Graham: the moment, Connor and I do not live in the same place. Soon. Connor Earegood: Yeah. About an hour away. Soon soon to be in the same town. Not gonna dox myself. Andrew Graham: Yeah, Connor lives at street street Connor Earegood: Live it one, two, three Andrew Graham: address goes here. No, but we're gonna get into the the week two weekend action and hopefully Eastern Michigan having played in week zero will stop affecting my brain soon enough here. so I guess let's start with the game that we were both at. Michigan State beat Eastern Michigan 35 to 7. Game was much closer than that through the first half. And then the way I kind of described it is, and this is I mean, the teams did good and like MSU did the affirmative things to go take the game and win it, and Eastern did a couple things to not. prevent it being taken from them. But it like Eastern really got stung by game script to start the third quarter where MSU marches down and scores to open the quarter. Eastern gets the ball back, is moving it okay, but then fumbles. MSU recovers right around midfield, quick scoring drive. Suddenly a fourteen seven game is twenty eight seven and that was that. I'm kind of curious your perspective on how that game swung and and how MSU kinda turned what was a competitive game into a blowout pretty quick. Connor Earegood: Yeah, well I was I was tracking the the run chart. I always do that runs, you know, less than zero or zero or less yards, zero to three, like all the way up to to ten plus. And Braden Bennett, I think, seven of his carries were in the first half and five of five or six of them were more than four yard gains. And I I think I could have charted more than eight. I mean he was carving up Andrew Graham: Yeah, he was he was rumbling. Connor Earegood: on third downs. Well, the thing is it was third downs too. Like he was constantly moving the chains. you know, Amarian Blue had a few decent carries in there as well. Noah Cam obviously scrambling. MSU didn't really have an answer for that without Jordan Hall in it at linebacker. So, I think that showed you y you know how vital he is to the defense. But second half, Bennett had one one carry and that was I think maybe no gain, or it might have been a loss of one. It wasn't a good carry. And they stopped running him 'cause they were behind and started trying to put air under the ball and that didn't work. So MSU's defense early on looked very vulnerable. Like very, very vulnerable without Hall. which is probably why he's rested and and they expect him back for Notre Dame. And and Pat Fitzgerald kind of affirmed that that was a bit of a business decision right at the end. He's like, Yeah, he could probably practice tomorrow, and and get cleared. So MSU Andrew Graham: Yeah. Connor Earegood: has to feel very, very happy that that's gonna happen, and and he's gonna be back because I I think you saw in that first half how rough things can look. Andrew Graham: Yeah, and I think looking at it like MSU's defense kind of struggled to affect either affect Eastern's offensive line of scrimmage. Whether it was the run game or the pass game until Eastern was just kinda like dropping back every play and having to throw and Noah Kim had to stand in there and read it out. Like by that point and like as Eastern was a little worn down, like, yeah, MSU could start to get home, but through the first I don't know, forty minutes of gameplay like Eastern's offensive line was maybe the most impressive like single unit in this game through the like that first two thirds of the game and that's a very big development for the Eagles. despite them losing by four touchdowns, Chris Creighton in his postgame press conference, their head coach, was like optimistic's not the right word. And like but like for having lost by four touchdowns, and obviously he's like he's a very sort of Intensely simmering competitive dude, like doesn't like losing, obviously was not pleased with the different ways that his team had sort of given that game away on the margins that turned into a big result. But he saw the way his team ran ran the ball. He saw an offensive line that had to fill in two spots. Like they're not really playing the offensive line group they would have played or would like to have played when they like would all be healthy. But they're not all healthy, so they have to play who they have to play. They were without Cole Dellinger. They started true freshman Samuel Adjun at right tackle and like they looked pretty good. like it wasn't perfect and they definitely could be better, but they opened some holes in the run game, they pass protected okay, and like Eastern was got the ball with a chance to like drive and make it twenty one fourteen in the third quarter against a Big Ten team on the road and like was driving and doing that until that Harold Mack fumble and so like There's a lot for eastern Michigan to take away positively from this in terms of like building forward and competing in the Mac. I don't know that it means anything against Wisconsin this upcoming week, but it it's meaningful insofar as if you can go and churn out a sixty seven of seventy eight yards on a drive on the ground against Michigan State, you should be able to do that against proverbial Kent State. Connor Earegood: Yeah, pretty much. A and the thing I Andrew Graham: That's Connor Earegood: was curious, like the the thing I was curious with them too is like when the line collapsed, I felt like Kim walked himself into that a little bit. Like Andrew Graham: Yeah. Connor Earegood: pocket awareness, it wasn't all on the offensive line and and Andrew Graham: Yeah. Connor Earegood: Eli Coon and getting two sacks in this one as a defensive tackle. Like he is shifty and looks like a former edge rusher that you put inside and put Andrew Graham: yeah. yeah. Connor Earegood: on the as he joked with us, seafood diet, which stripped me up for a second 'cause I did ask him what, like shrimp. and he got my ass but wa with him like you see some of the the athleticism that MSU wants from this defensive line, but like I f I felt like it was more pocket presence and things that Kim maybe was trying to hold out to the last second to to find something and then didn't really work out but Andrew Graham: Yeah, there's a little bit of that. And I think to MSU's credit, they did a good job of though they weren't getting home all the time, they were staying disciplined in their rush lanes and stuff. So like there were not Connor Earegood: Mm-hmm. Andrew Graham: a ton of opportunities for Kim to get out. And when like and sometimes when he did, Connor Earegood: Open edges, yeah. Andrew Graham: he he like broke an ankle tackle too. So like some guy had him maybe and like Kim like you know, shakes off an ankle tackle and and gets out. So I don't think like MS I wasn't like discouraged by MSU's defensive line performance or anything, so much as I was like, actually like this is a pretty good showing from Eastern's offensive line, Connor Earegood: Mm-hmm. Andrew Graham: by and large. I'm kind of curious your opinions of Alessio through two weeks, because I think he's been really good while not being asked to do like all that much, which is like a completely reasonable thing for a guy who's like technically kind of in his first go as a starting quarterback, but he was really sharp and Like that fourth and eleven completion he had, I can't remember which drive it was to Connor Earegood: Third, I think. Andrew Graham: Yeah, I think it was to open the third quarter or something like that or or Connor Earegood: Yeah. Andrew Graham: Yeah. And he be he breaks contain, finds Charles Taplin sort of floating alone in in a gap in his own coverage. Like he's just seeing it really well and making a lot of really good decisions. And I think and I'm curious kind of what you've seen and heard from the coaches of like Connor Earegood: Yeah, I Andrew Graham: It seems like he's building an incredible floor to keep elevating from. Connor Earegood: Yeah, and that's the thing is like they're they're kinda opening it up for him, maybe some deeper shots and and Nick Sheridan sort of alluded to that during the week that you know they wanted him to take the top off a little bit and and I think you saw that with the the thirty eight yarder to to Taplin for his first career touchdown and and that eighteen yarder to Fred Moore, which were I I think more you know, that was a quarterback's pass. That was a dart. I mean, over two defenders, Andrew Graham: That throw to Moore was that throw to Moore was I think his best throw he's made as a college quarterback. Connor Earegood: only where Moore can get it very you know. saw the route too Andrew Graham: Like pinned it up. Connor Earegood: that he had that seam perfectly. 'Cause Moore lined up a little bit I mean, it wasn't like a tight end, but he was was pretty far inside, not even in the slot. Just it was a weird alignment and he just Yeah, it was Andrew Graham: It was it was like a was like a tight wing sort of alignment almost. Like Connor Earegood: gross and it worked. And same thing with Taplin, like he recognizes that little stutter step that Taplin did just washed out his you know, the corner that was on him completely and he's kinda wide open. and it was just an easy ball dropped right in, you know, he didn't rush anything but Again, I think that's something you see with him is he's very cerebral. he's point five EPA per play in that game, which is like Andrew Graham: Huh. Connor Earegood: formerly elite, which is more common now. Andrew Graham: Pa Patrick Mahomes is like point like one eight in like V P seasons to for context. Connor Earegood: Yeah, and that's like Andrew Graham: Like Connor Earegood: this is and this is college too, so it's like, you know, the stats aren't always skewed to to NFL. But he's in the same the same half as like guys like Josh Hoover, guys like Darien Mensa, I think Jaden Maeva as well from USC was still in that that area. he the completion percentage he was a little lower than expected. and I think that's 'cause he's twelve for twenty. There's probably a two, three, four throws in there that he would want back. it just didn't end up going. A few he threw away as well. Andrew Graham: Yeah, I think a thr a few he threw away as well, like so you're you're not upset about those. Connor Earegood: And and sort of like the boundary looks where it's like, all right, maybe my guy can get it. but I again taking care of the ball is his specialty and he's a really, really good decision maker. and I think that's something that the staff brought him in for his arm, the previous staff. and I think what Pat Fitzgerald and Nick Sheridan and all these guys recognized is he's a smart cookie and and he's getting smarter by the day, and and has sort of some of the intangibles, quote unquote. Intangibles is a word for the I don't knows. th he's just something about him, something about Flacco. But it's something Andrew Graham: Eat. Connor Earegood: about Alessio Milovojevich that Michigan State fans are really, really liking. Andrew Graham: Yeah, and it he's a coach's son, right, isn't he? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Connor Earegood: Yes. His his dad, Saint Francis. His dad coached his his high school wide receiver. Well and him, but you know. Andrew Graham: No, love amazing. Did did you know Peyton Thorne and Jaden Reed went to middle school together? Connor Earegood: Very much so. Everybody knows that. Andrew Graham: I had to bring it out. the last thing I wanted to hit on from this game, it's still on the MSU offense, is the run game where I know you're not gonna catch me saying it was bad on a date where they finished with 258 net yards, but I'm kind of curious about like some of the inefficient nature of it all. Because to me, a lot of the success has been Cam Edwards kind of making a play. where his offensive line otherwise hasn't made it for him. and then it it's I think we started to see what it can look like when it hits late against Eastern where they're hitting some of these these outside tosses where they're out leveraging the defense and it's like safeties outrunning guards to pursued angles on the backside and stuff. Like I think we saw what it can look like at its best against Eastern, but I've just like it's felt kind of inefficient and kinda like there's more for the offensive line to do to kind of set up Edwards and the rest of the runners for a little Connor Earegood: Yeah. Andrew Graham: more success. Connor Earegood: I I like the outside looks way more. Like the week Andrew Graham: Yeah. Connor Earegood: before and I think Edwards does too. Like judging by how he was running outside in week one, and then you look at his explosive gains, forty yards down the left sideline, thirty three down the right. Like very, very, you know, explosive plays. He's not a huge speedster. He's fast. But he's not a scat back. And it's like Andrew Graham: No, he does not unhitch the wagon. Every time he got into space, like I was like, an eastern defender is gonna catch him. Connor Earegood: And he they but they don't. And it's the crazy part with him is he's elusive enough and Andrew Graham: Yeah. Connor Earegood: you know, I I I think I I guess they get him eventually, but I mean to to get, you know, big chunk plays. the the thing that I noticed from this game is Brandon Tullis, when he got the ball late in the game, ran like he didn't want to lose it. and I think if you look at MSU's running back stable, like Marvis Parrish, a little bit of a s a speedy receiver type, I don't know what role there is for him if Edwards is able to do all his things other than just like a touch limiter. Like, we're giving Andrew Graham: Yeah. Connor Earegood: Edwards twenty and you were gonna take the other five, six, seven, and and, you know, make sure this guy doesn't get hurt, like an injury stop gap, I guess. Same thing with Jazzy and Patterson, where it's like he's got a little more of a brash physical nature to him, but I thought Tullis was tremendous running inside, running through guys, and and he's a guy who formerly thought he was a a speedster and then realized, oof, alright, I gotta add some weight. and and you know. more of a a a power back, if you will, last year, except he can't pass protect. so I wonder if that's why he's fourth on the depth chart, Andrew Graham: As we learned last year. Connor Earegood: as we learned a lot last year, whereas Edwards is a dog in that nature. And I think those are the sorts of things that separate you when there's so many running backs and MSU's gonna be running the ball. but I I thought he did a a really good job to position himself for maybe some more playing time in the future that's not the you know a a literal like second team drive, like backup lineman and everything. so I I I am curious to see like Is there a role for Tullis in the inside? Like does Michigan State go to that at some point? but but Edwards in space is a good recipe for Michigan State. And I I think se more than seventy five percent of his touches were efficient, like four or more yards. and and that was not all a credit to his offensive line in this one, especially in the first half. So a very interesting result from him. Andrew Graham: Yeah, he's currently so I I've been curious about this. He I I'm joking that he's on the road to three hundred fifty touches, which might be a little much because that would be like twenty nine and a half a game. But he's currently averaging he's he's rushed the ball forty eight times in two games. So he's at twenty Connor Earegood: Yeah. Andrew Graham: four carries a game, which back of the napkin math, that gets you pretty close to three hundred. it's it's Connor Earegood: Pretty close to three hundred. Yeah. Two ninety six or two ninety four. Andrew Graham: like two nine like two ninety or two eighty, like in that ballpark. I just like failing to do the subtraction off the back end to get it to the right number. so I'm just curious like how that they try to like find the fine tuning of that that workload where I think you do if you're MSU probably need to have Edwards carrying the ball twenty plus times a game to like be at your optimized best offensively. But can you do that where it's not utterly diminished by the final five? ish games of the season because then you're Connor Earegood: Mm-hmm. Andrew Graham: gonna be kinda up creek. So like I'm curious to see how that plays out. And like Edwards has shown he can handle heavy workload he did last year. Alright, shall we Connor Earegood: Cool. Andrew Graham: get shall we get into the the the I I swear I texted I texted like three different people this at about eleven thirty on Saturday morning. I said, So the funniest outcome is Michigan wins, right? And lo and behold, Connor Earegood: Yeah. Andrew Graham: Michigan ended up winning and you know, I I was watched some of the the like inside Michigan football video they put out just to see what like Whittingham says in his little like private interview with John Janssen or whatnot. And he I I think he summed it up pretty well where it's like lots to clean up, but like much better feeling this way than like it was a week Connor Earegood: Yeah. Andrew Graham: ago. Like like it's Michigan came out and like executed a game plan and played well and played hard and played in a way they can be prideful of, which you couldn't say last week. Connor Earegood: I mean they played tough. They played tough. Like that's the thing we didn't see from them in in week one. They looked like they were folding. They looked like they were mentally out of it. in in this one they were able to sort of A shut out the noise, which is a as much as it's like a a a coachism, that that's a thing. I Andrew Graham: It's a real thing. Connor Earegood: th in this one it's a real thing. And two, like, you know, I I I I thought there was a I I guess a gamesmanship or or not gamesmanship, but like a playmaking w with Underwood you saw that for a guy that, you know, says that's cool to a coach a quarterback controversy that his coach was so quick to discard once it was convenient. That was Andrew Graham: That was very amusing postgame. Connor Earegood: r very funny. I mean, when you spend twelve million bucks on a quarterback, fair enough. Andrew Graham: Well and I th like Whittingham is kind like very technically, from like a very like lawyerly standpoint, Whittingham's not incorrect that he didn't like call out Underwood's job, but like in all practical terms he did. Connor Earegood: Yeah. No and and yeah. Tony Garcia from Free Press was defending his question too, and there were a lot of angry U of fans, which I think is whi which is the Andrew Graham: It was completely reasonable question. He wanted to ask the head coach how entrenched the starter was as the starter after a bad performance. It's a horrible question. Connor Earegood: Yeah. Well, the the the the the thing you see with that though is when the burners that are like you Mish fans seven three five are tweaking out, that means Michigan's in a good spot. You if the burners go silent, it's bad. Andrew Graham: Yeah. Connor Earegood: And if the burners are like capitulating, then it's it's fire the coach bad. Which Andrew Graham: Yeah. Connor Earegood: I think you saw in the Moore saga. So like when the burners are active, like th there should be like a a weather chart of burner activity for any college fan base. Andrew Graham: It's like Connor Earegood: MSU is active and the thing about MSU, they're like Eagles fans, they're active no matter what. Andrew Graham: It's like the fire risk thing you see in it's like the fire risk thing you see in national parks. Connor Earegood: Yes, no, a hundred percent. I I think this would be incredible for both fan bases. Andrew Graham: That's not a bad idea. Connor Earegood: MSU would always be at like DEF CON one, like always Eagles fans. Eagles fans. Andrew Graham: Yeah, they kinda exist they exist just but just below a boil, basically. Yeah. Connor Earegood: It's and I love it. And I think it's great, especially some of the like the Brody sheets of it all, like the the the burners that are LARPing. I think that stuff's really funny. Alright, we'll we'll leave the Owen McCarthy Burnerver story in the in the file, but Andrew Graham: This is such a digression, but I love it. Connor Earegood: a huge digression, but we love college football. Andrew Graham: And we love the fact that there are people who are pretending to be media members who are obviously not Connor Earegood: The the Michigan burners are back. Andrew Graham: It's like fine. you mentioned obviously like the price underwood of it all is like the sort of big thing here and Obviously they ran him a lot, eighteen carries, and he looked pretty good doing it. It's I think Austin Meek had this line in his like story for the athletic, but it was basically like they kind of made him Cam Newton light, which is like obviously he's not nearly like as talented as a forer runner or even athlete, like Cam Newton's just one of one of one. but like it's just like, hey, let's get this like big special athlete like moving with the ball in his hands downhill. And like in space. It's like, I I see how that looks good. and I think the thing to me, like, that I almost noticed, like rewatching the game and and tuning in as I could throughout the day, like Michigan appeared to be having fun, which is like a very under like, you know, it was still an intense football game they were focused in, but it's like they made a good play and like the guys were like happy and smiling and ex like like it doesn't have like like The way they kind of broke this pressure cooker, I think, could be very good for them in the long term of like you basically came out, you look DOA, everyone says you're DOA, everyone thinks it's gonna get confirmed that you're DOA when Oklahoma drives a stake through, and then you don't, and you respond and you win, and like you didn't play perfect, far from it, but you played very well. That like I'm curious in a meta sense of like how much this could be something that like catalyzes Michigan of like for as bad as they were in week one, they responded quickly, beat up what everyone thinks is a good Oklahoma team. I don't think anyone's like like I can get to my opinion of Matea in a minute here, but That's a good win and like how can you parlay that forward? Like you get the breather against UTEP, you maybe actually could like have a game where we get Underwood to like fifteen completions and see what happens. And but like you just put yourself on a much better footing to approach the rest of the season than if you had lost this game or you know, like all like what a kind of perfect way to shrug off everything from the last week by just like coming out playing hard nosed football and grinding out Oklahoma to a win. Like Connor Earegood: Yeah. Andrew Graham: it's kind of the perfect outcome in terms of like what could happen for Michigan, short of like scoring Connor Earegood: Yeah. Andrew Graham: forty five points. Connor Earegood: I I hit the group chat with the why are they trying to turn Cam Newton into Tom Brady with the whole pocket Andrew Graham: Ha ha ha. Connor Earegood: presence thing? It's like a completely different skill set of a quarterback. They're using him wrong and sure enough, like they open up the playbook and it it looks way better. and I think there were a Andrew Graham: I do Connor Earegood: few ESPN analysts that brought that up too where they were like th the sitting him in the pocket isn't gonna work. And I think it w you know, winning him earlier in the week I think he'd mentioned he like teaching him how to play football. Or like how to just go out and play ball and some people read the tea leaves of that as god, they're cooked. I I think that was the the right thing to do is you don't want to stress the kid. You don't want to throw him back in the pressure cooker. Just go let him play like he's in the backyard. And sometimes that'll work. It's like the Archman quote after they they came back against Ohio State and he said, I'm just gonna stop caring on the sideline. They caught him on a lip reading and he goes out and they lead a huge comeback 'cause Andrew Graham: Mm-hmm. Connor Earegood: he just stopped giving, you know, GAF. So Andrew Graham: yeah. Connor Earegood: it's it that's the the interesting part for Michigan is they're talented enough that you could see this team the irony of the Western Michigan Pete's is that you could totally see this team still being a college football playoff contender, you know, probably written off a little too soon, which would be really funny. No. Andrew Graham: Yes. I don't think they're gonna make it, but like they'll be in the hunt. Connor Earegood: But well, Oregon looks weak though, so then if you're you know, if you're nine and three, if you're ten and two. Andrew Graham: I mean like could you not could they not stick Ohio State in a meat grinder again this year somehow? Like who knows? Like like who knows? Connor Earegood: That too. And and you know, if you think of Penn State, Penn State, you know, Temple had a good run up on so it's you know, it's it's not as you know, everyone has their little hiccups and it's eventually the matchup you play, but it'd be really funny if it was a Michigan Western Michigan five twelve. Could happen. Andrew Graham: Yeah, the more likely is the Michigan Western Michigan Citrus Bowl matchup that feeds families where it's really Western starters versus Michigan's backups, but Connor Earegood: Yeah. Well that'd be something. Andrew Graham: Well and I think my thing with Underwood too is like He's never like I don't I didn't cover him enough in high school to like speak about this in a super informed way, but like when he was at Belleville, they were never like I don't think there was like this like at no point in the last like five years of his career have I do I think there's been a concerted group of people who are his foot like who are his football coaches who are developing him as a passer. Connor Earegood: Mm-hmm. Andrew Graham: Which is not like an indictment of the Belleville coaching staff or anything. They were trying to win high school football games and state championships and they won a lot of them, so clearly they knew what they were doing. But it just seems like it was just sort of this like, well, he's got all the ability, he'll figure it out. He's got like and it's like and he's had private quarterback coaching, but that's very different from getting coached how to play quarterback within the context of the team you're on. Connor Earegood: Of the offense. Yeah. Andrew Graham: Like, how do you work within this offense, with these receivers, in these calls, in these situations? And and that's its own, like, you know, talk about like graduate level football or whatever, but that's kinda it. And that's kind of that, like I just think like I wouldn't be stunned if eight weeks from now, after someone's finally been doing that with Bryce Underwood, that it like Maybe things start to click into place a little bit. And if they don't, they don't, and they'll just run two hundred times this year and figure it out and win eight games that way because the defense looks excellent and they should be able to get the running game figured out sooner rather than later here, 'cause I saw like I mean, half of it's just like getting rid of holding penalties on the offensive line and they'd be better. Like legitimately they'd have had like thirty five poor rush Connor Earegood: Blacking the potter. Andrew Graham: they'd have had like thirty five poor rushing yards on Saturday if they just didn't hold. So I don't know. Connor Earegood: Yeah. Well the other side of the coin too is the the special teams gaffes that are still there, like diving out of the punter twice in the same drive, back to back. Yeah. Andrew Graham: Well, and also making really good plays on punt coverage. So it's like just if this team like it's very clear that if Michigan can just clean up the self-inflicted slop, they're still pretty good. Like, they had a bad performance Connor Earegood: Yeah. Andrew Graham: in the opener, but like Oklahoma is like whatever you can say about Oklahoma, and I guess I'll get to my Matir opinion here, but like That's a very good roster. That's a team some people pick to win the SEC. The defense we know is act like it's Brent Venables with his defense, tons of good players. Like, so like it might not ever be pretty for Michigan this year, but I think they've kind of showed themselves, if nobody else, like, hey, we got a little formula to win eight ish games here. Now, it helps, and this is my little soapbox. For my money, John Mateer might have been the most like overrated a college football player's been in a couple years. Connor Earegood: Mm. Andrew Graham: He's good. He is a good college quarterback. You will win a lot of college football games with him. But I think one, a bunch of people just went, this is the next guy who transferred out of Washington State, so he'll be Cam Ward, which he's not. Not even close. And two, like, I just think it was like just so much. Glazing of this guy for stuff he did last season before he got hurt. And it's just like I'm I am never going to buy hype that's based on a small sample size for an injury from a prior season. I'm just out on that. And then the whole he's all bulked up and whatever. It's just like none of none like everything that everyone was getting hype about him for did not point in any real way to him actually being good on the field this year. And I kept quiet about him. Because I just didn't feel like getting in arguments with Oklahoma shooters online, speaking of burners. But it's just like Are we sure he's actually that good? And then he had to go out Connor Earegood: Yeah. Andrew Graham: and play against a genuinely good defense and looked pedestrian. Just Connor Earegood: Yeah. I I I think he's a good good player. I I think he just had a bad game. Andrew Graham: I would say he's good. I'm not like he's a good college quarterback, but just like what are we doing with the he's a Heisman favorite? What like no no no no no no. That's insane Connor Earegood: Heisman was a stretch for sure. Andrew Graham: to me. I've watched Oklahoma's offense the past couple years. No no no no no no no no no. Like like not well Darien Mensah and Jeremiah Smith and Jaden Maiava and all them. Like, no, we're not doing that. Like see d Connor Earegood: Yeah. CJ Carr, if he doesn't throw a pick, like Andrew Graham: I d there are many options and I just that I just like That was my my that's my little digression of just like I never understood it and I think I got my vindication over the weekend where it was just like he he like the thing with Matir that gets me is he gets off a read and then looks to run, which is fine, but like he's not explosive enough as an athlete to make that pay off readily enough. Like he just gets roped down at the line and falls forward for a yard and a half w way too many times. It's like you gotta start through Connor Earegood: Yeah. But he's Jack. So then people are thinking he can, you know, throw someone off him. Good luck. Unless it's a corner. Yeah. Andrew Graham: He's not that big. Yeah, he's not that big. He's just it's he's a good player. Like they will win plenty of games this year with him, don't get me wrong, but just the like this guy's a game changer for Oklahoma kind of stuff. I'm like, I don't think he is. I just don't think he is. Their Connor Earegood: Yeah. Andrew Graham: receivers are also pedestrian, but that's another conversation too. Connor Earegood: We'll see in the the hypothetical SEC wind. Hypothetical. Hmm? Andrew Graham: Well, you know their you know their schedule the next three weeks is they they host New Mexico, which is not exactly easy, and then they get Georgia and Red River. So we will know shortly here whether Oklahoma's Connor Earegood: who they actually are. Andrew Graham: a good win for Michigan or was a good win for Michigan. Connor Earegood: Yeah. Well that's the the joke the joke I wanted to make too is the the Western Michigan hypothetical wins over the SEC, having beaten Andrew Graham: Yeah. Connor Earegood: Michigan with the whole clock controversy and then Michigan beats Oklahoma. Andrew Graham: By by pure transitive property, and because they were both at Michigan, it kinda like you can bake out the home field advantage. Western Connor Earegood: You can home field. Andrew Graham: Michigan is like what, a five point favorite over Oklahoma on a neutral field, purely by the transitive property? Connor Earegood: Hypothetically. Theoretically, physically. Andrew Graham: not actually, but like just purely by transitive japery. Connor Earegood: If the exciting whites get up to shenanigans. Andrew Graham: Hey, they got a they got a new exciting white at receiver, Harper Hughes, this little little little guy from Wisconsin who it's apparently Hey, I I remember I saw him make a play in camp where he like sunk his hips and like snapped off a comebacker against like one of the DBs on the two deep, and I went It's like the penguin meme was like noted. But we will get now to the central Michigan of it all and there Frankly, near disastrous performance against Colgate. I mean, it was still a bad performance when you're beating an FCS team thirteen to ten at home and struggling for much of the game and trailing for much of the game. did you did you follow any of this at all, Connor? I know it was you were kind of busy with your own stuff for the day, but I'm just curious if this managed to Connor Earegood: I w Lil busy. Yeah. Andrew Graham: make it to your radar. Connor Earegood: It it didn't, but I was surprised when you mentioned the score. And I was like, ooh. Ooh. So it it's interesting. Andrew Graham: So Colgate managed to run the ball okay and like move it with some success consistently. Yeah, so they Connor Earegood: They had a huge offensive line, as you noted last week. Andrew Graham: they were kind of able to like Central's a little they're a little more like small, come at you in waves, like they just don't have a ton of big bodies on the defensive line. And so they were able to get run on a little bit, and Colgate has a decent quarterback who can kind of run and throw it a little bit. So They created, I think, three or four takeaways on defense, which basically kept them in the game and and and stopped Colgate from scoring more than twice. And the problem right now for Central is just the offense, straight up. I mean, like you can't d there's no other way to break it down where they've scored twenty points across two games. Thirteen of those have come against an FCS team. Like getting shoved in a locker against New Mexico had it been a one-off, would have been, okay, that sucked. But you know, looking back, we just you know, we just beat Colgate by 30, and you go, you go beat Wyoming in week three, and then you look back, you're two and one, and New Mexico's two and one looks good against Oklahoma, and you go, Okay, they're just really good and we got our butts kicked, and that happens. Now that you have this performance again c against Colgate, excuse me, it's much more uh-oh. w why are we deficient in X, Y, or Z things? and what I've really like having watched it, like to my relatively untrained, non expert eye, is they're not getting push on the offensive line. And I don't know that that's like a talent issue so much as a like scheme communication confidence, you know, like play fast and unquestioning kind of thing issue. Which kinda ties back to it feels like it's just a little bit overladen right now for everyone where there's a little more thinking than playing and reacting and doing going on. And so it's just every offensive play feels like the quarterback's a beat behind the defense. And, you know, they're the they're doing a lot of stuff that involves like gives and pulls and and reads, and it's not bad stuff, and I don't think it can't work. But it's just a little it's just not quite happening with that like urgency, quickness, aggressiveness, decisiveness, like kind of tempo and urgency to it. And what it means is like by the time, you know, Angel Flores is pulling the ball out from his running backs, you know, breadbasket and looking to see where a receiver might be, like there's pass rushers in his face or whatever. Like it's just it all feels Not jumbled, but like It's like you're trying to like pull your car through a yield where you have a clearing and then you step on the gas and it rolls out, but then it's like not accelerating fast enough and you think the car coming the other way is gonna like hit it's like it just it's not they're stepping on the gas and it's going forward, but it's just not like actually accelerating at the rate they would want Connor Earegood: Yeah. Andrew Graham: it to, and that's like like causing a lot of problems. Connor Earegood: Do you Andrew Graham: I don't know what the like specific underlying route is, but that's like what it looks like from outside. Connor Earegood: Do you think the Jaden Glasser thing, do you think Drinkle wanted him to win that outright and that would do some things for the offense? Or or do you think that was the plan was like, we'll see how these work and it was a genuine like Q B competition. 'Cause there are there's differences in Q B competitions, right? There's Andrew Graham: Yeah. Connor Earegood: the ones that are wide open and they don't care who gets it 'cause they're both gonna fit, and then there's the other ones where it's like this guy is probably better suited for the offense, but he's gotta show me he has it. Andrew Graham: I think it was a little more of we will just let these guys compete and see where Connor Earegood: Okay. Andrew Graham: it ends up. And I think it was probably like with the benefit of hindsight, the likelihood was going to be that Flores would win the starting job because he had I mean he was healthier for longer throughout the off season, which just helps. I mean Glasser wasn't cleared to go fully live until July, sometime. Summer basically. And They I know they what they love about Flores is all of the kind of quiet stuff that like w fans or people watching would never notice about the quarterback of like how he functions like during the week of like practice and preparation. How he gets them right operationally and like he doesn't make Like he's made a couple bad decisions on like the two interceptions he's thrown so far. And one of those was admittedly like trying to make some shit happen just because I think he was pressing a little bit. so I don't think that was ever like, you know, we want Jaden to beat him out and take over the starting job, or we want Angel to hold it this year and Jaden can take it next year. I think they're kind of were. were and are okay with however it maybe plays out. 'Cause I think what they trust in is both of those guys being mature adults about it one way or another, which Connor Earegood: Sure. Andrew Graham: they have been, and that's I mean, a credit to them. But like one of them's just gotta play better at a certain point. Like they're just they're they have not been a functional passing offense through two weeks. And Connor Earegood: I mean the best quarterback in the game had a twenty four point four QBR. Andrew Graham: Yeah. Like they they just have not been good at the quarterback position so far. We saw some Marcus Beaman against Colgate and he was it's kinda similar to the rest of them in a in a limited sample. And so I think it might involve some pairing back of the offense a little bit. I I I would have to ask them about that. But I just think like the general deal is whoever it is, however it is, and whatever it is one of Flores and Glass or or even at this point Marcus Beaman, like someone at quarterback has to kind of take the reins and like forge this forward on the field for Central Michigan too. Because I think that's the other thing of like if you get a quarterback that's kind of more demanding, more intense, more like coach on the field in that sense of like the the the galvanizing leadership, I think you'll start to see some of the stuff with the offensive line come together and some of the like 'cause oftentimes it's quarterbacks who are the one who, you know, when a guy misses assignment and it's the quarterback immediately getting up and barking at him of like, you gotta block that guy, not that guy. Like that's the blah blah blah. And like that's more valuable as reinforcement than anything a coach could ever say. and I just think like cent Central Connor Earegood: yeah. 'Cause that's your guy. Like Andrew Graham: just like needs to get like I it's kinda I think like neither quarterback has like maybe as direct ownership, if that's the right phrasing. And this is me sort of speculating to to be completely fair. But just like they just need someone to really take the reins at that position. Or or if it's somehow both of them, both of them, but like somebody's kind of got to on the field for the offense, galvanize that unit. in a way that like gets them productively moving forward, both metaphorically and quite literally on the field. Like they ran the ball okay, but they just have to be able to throw it more to be a functional offense in the grand scheme of things. Like they're not they're not trying to be army and doing the option here. They would like to throw the ball. They plan to throw the ball. They probably need to throw the ball and they're not really capable of it in a meaningful way right now. Connor Earegood: Defense looks good though. Andrew Graham: Defense is solid. I think I think my meta lesson from them so far this year is as much as they don't want to recruit guys who fit a physical profile that means they'll get like transfer poached in two years, they might still have to. Because there's still value for them, especially with the five and five where you're not like you don't have to think about red shirts of like what if Derek Simmons comes to Central Michigan for two years? Connor Earegood: Yeah. Andrew Graham: Like maybe not him, but like that sort of player Connor Earegood: No, I think that's a good example though. Andrew Graham: It's like a three star ish, high three star guy who like okay, you get him to come to Central, he plays two really good years for you. It sucks that you're basically recruiting him to go sign with like Michigan or Cincinnati or Michigan State or Notre Dame, you know, whatever whatever it is. But like I do think there maybe needs to be a little more acceptance that like you're just gonna need some guys who come in body types. that result in them transferring away. And that sucks and it's stupid that that's like the way it works when you're at Central Michigan now, but you will benefit from it year to year on the field by having guys who are like, yeah, they're sophomores, but they're six three, three ten, and like there's like Connor Earegood: Yeah. Andrew Graham: they're like you just need that physical Connor Earegood: can go punish, yeah. Andrew Graham: skill set that you just I they don't really have right now. and so I think they'll be okay on defense. I trust Sean Cronin's ability to just kind of come up with the rolodex of plays to absolutely th throw something in your spokes. But I do wonder against like teams that can just like line up and run, like they're gonna have, I think, some troubles this year just 'cause of their general lack of size on the defensive front, and just lack of heft. But you're not gonna you you cannot solve that one week to week. so like you just they're they are where they are personnel wise and I think they've got answers. But I do wonder and that's mostly like you're gonna play Miami in two weeks and you're probably you're gonna hope you play a bowl game. But other than that, like I think against Mac competition they'll be okay on defense. But Western could get interesting, for instance. Connor Earegood: Sure. Andrew Graham: And speaking of Western Michigan. Connor Earegood: Speaking of Andrew Graham: They they played a game. It was exactly sixty minutes long, as far as we're aware. it did not Yeah, yeah, they they played they played ten minute they played Connor Earegood: Fifty nine point nine nine? No, fifty nine fifty nine. Andrew Graham: ten minute quarters in Waldo this week. Connor Earegood: Yeah. Andrew Graham: really make sure no extra time is being added. No, it was a full sixty minutes of Western against Monmouth. They won forty nine fourteen. Monmouth didn't score until the second half. It was kinda what you'd expect out of Western versus an FCS team. The most impressive thing to me though was Brock Lowry going fourteen of twenty for two hundred and seventy-three yards and three touchdowns, which I don't even have to check is comfortably his best game as a passer as a college quarterback. Like I I with a bullet that is his best game as a passer as a college quarterback. and it could have been a little better even. There was a deep ball that he laid out to Avian Chenault that Chenault kinda underran for whatever reason. And so he just looked good, he looked decisive, he looked comfortable. There was if you get a chance, Egypt Nelson's touchdown catch is the most like, look what I found with the ball. Like he did not know it was coming and just stuck his hands out, and the ball hit it and he caught it in the end zone. Like it was very comical. But they kind of showed off the passing offense that I think they've talked about halfway in the offseason and have been building towards where they can hit some explosives, Brock can. excuse me, make you pay for you know, if you're gonna load up in the run count and play single coverage, like Avion Chenault will win in one on one coverage and Brock Lowry will get him the football and you will regret having done that. And that Yeah. And Connor Earegood: Yeah. That's the other part of it. Getting him the football when he does it. Like Andrew Graham: And that sorry, you froze for a second. We we're encountering tactical Connor Earegood: I saw that too. Andrew Graham: difficulties. but when you when you fuse that component of we can punish you for getting heavy in the box and playing single coverage against us in a real way to Western Michigan's offense, it makes it very much more potent. Because I think they're going to be able to run the ball against basically everybody they play for the rest of the year. Maybe Boise gives them trouble. But That upside of hey, we can run it. We've got Brock Lower, we've got Jalen Buckley, we've got a great offensive line, with excuse me, a I it's not gonna be like, you know, drop back 40 times a game ever passing game. That's just not Connor Earegood: Right. Andrew Graham: who they are. Like, I think, you know, I think like a JJ McCarthy at Michigan is probably like a a useful facsimile for this in terms of like volume and maybe aesthetic vibes of you're trying to drop back and hit a shot player too. You're you have those intermediate like overs and crossing routes. He can hit a f a, you know, an out route on third and six to get you eight yards and keep the drive going. Like just all that kind of stuff that takes your offense from, you know, kind of good single dimensional, really effective thing into just a a a realm of completeness that makes you that much harder to defend. I I think they got a chance to be really good, like legitimately in the discussion for the CFP kind of upside, if like the version of Brock Lowry we got on Saturday is translatable into like the Mac and frankly if he plays like that against Boise State. Connor Earegood: Yeah. And the Jalen Buckley, ten carries for twenty eight yards and three touchdowns, I think, is also another Andrew Graham: So So I texted Adam Bodnar, Bodz, who is the Western Michigan's sports information director. Big shout out to Bodz. I know Connor knows him too. Connor Earegood: yeah. Andrew Graham: he is he is the mayor of Negative Town, as he jokes in his Twitter bio. It's he is, and I say that lovingly. But I we were tack like just I because I was in East Lansing, we like texting little tidbits throughout the game. And He he noted like the the Jalen Buckley stat line of like how ridiculous it is. And I and I just sat back. He's going for the Jerome Bettis five carries, negative two yards, three touchdowns stat line, which is a real stat line. I think that's right. Where Jerome Bettis had like I think it was five carries and he had like negative yardage and multiple touchdowns. Because he had like one big Connor Earegood: Hate it. Andrew Graham: negative carry and then like three one yard touchdown runs. Just like fantastic running back stat line. So yeah, Buckley just sort of was the situational battering ram on Saturday night while they kind of aired it out a little bit. very useful. And and Connor Earegood: Which is useful. That's and that's a skill, you know. Andrew Graham: and frankly, for a guy who's been as hurt as he is throughout his career but managed to play through it, any chance where they get to go You know what, dude? You don't need to carry the ball more than ten times today is a smart thing for them to be doing, just frankly. So like Connor Earegood: Yeah. Especially with Boise State coming. Like Andrew Graham: yeah, and like they have they like they I think they love how deep their running back room is. Like I think they'd be perfectly happy going into a game with Lolo and Cole Cabana as like their two running backs, even though that's not ideal. I Connor Earegood: Yeah, and nine different ball carriers. Andrew Graham: Yeah, yeah. I predicted I predicted five different players scored a rushing a receiving touchdown and it was four. Because it's Jalen Buckley had to have three of them to himself. Selfish. Selfish guy. Yeah. Connor Earegood: From twenty eight yards. Total. Andrew Graham: I do want to briefly hit on the defense because they actually like Western got outgained in this game. Fun fact. and it's kind of funny. You look at the drive chart for for Monmouth and it's like six plays punt, six plays punt, eight plays turnover on downs, like it is all the way that through the third quarter. So they were moving the ball, but they weren't ever doing anything particularly threatening until late, and Western was starting to cycle in some backups. And so I guess like this it's just more a question I have coming out of it, but is it do we have maybe some some some gaps in the armor for Western's defense, or is it more just like are we gonna look back at the end of the year and watch Monmouth and FCS averaging like four hundred sixty two yards a game and go Okay, like I 'cause I think both are distinctly possible and I don't Connor Earegood: Yeah. Andrew Graham: it's impossible to say right now. Connor Earegood: When you score seven touchdowns too, like it depends on where you're getting Andrew Graham: Correct. Connor Earegood: the ball and there's always hidden yards and the punting and the kicking and it and everything like that Andrew Graham: Correct. Connor Earegood: in the return game. But like it happens. I don't know. Like he still won by by five touchdowns. Yeah. Andrew Graham: Correct. And they they forced two takeaways. Like the defence was fine. Like they gave up fourteen points. They had two takeaways. You won by thirty five. Like you it it's it's Connor Earegood: Significant. Andrew Graham: okay. It's okay that you gave up some yards today, but like I just am curious about Connor Earegood: Yeah. Andrew Graham: about that in the the grander scheme of things. But they play Rice this week and we were talking pre show about Rice played Houston Christian and then Notre Dame, so it's just like the most unrepresentative two game sample for an opponent that Western could possibly have, but They get they get rice this week in Houston, so Connor Earegood: Yeah. Andrew Graham: any anything else we didn't didn't hit on? Connor Earegood: I wanna talk about a scheduling note. Not related Andrew Graham: Ooh, tell me. Connor Earegood: to any teams. It's a little weird how many teams are scheduling the same opponents. Oklahoma plays both Michigan and UTEP. Michigan also plays UTEP. Andrew Graham: Yeah. Connor Earegood: Michigan State plays Wisconsin in the Big Ten schedule. Who also plays Notre Dame, who also plays Eastern, who Michigan State played. Andrew Graham: Yes. Connor Earegood: Oddity. Oddity. Andrew Graham: Trying to think of any other ones now. Connor Earegood: Like it feels like there's so many schedules that are like nested. Andrew Graham: A little bit. I think part of that is we're gonna start seeing more like as money becomes more important, like you will see like the easterns and westerns and centrals of the world start to schedule closer and closer buy games. 'Cause you your return is literally better Connor Earegood: yeah. Bus trips. Andrew Graham: the less you spend on travel and other things like that. So like Connor Earegood: Yeah. Andrew Graham: Central or or Eastern or Western will make way more money busing to MSU or Michigan, taking that check and heading home than like I mentioned Central plays at Miami, Florida this this weekend, or two weekends from now, excuse me, week four. And they're getting paid well for that. They will come out ahead, but like they gotta pay for flights and like all that kind of stuff and that just Connor Earegood: Yeah. Well Andrew Graham: gets expensive. Connor Earegood: and the other side too is the tickets for an MSU or a U of If you sell whatever crop of your tickets, Andrew Graham: You will sell more tickets. Correct. Connor Earegood: like Western fans, eastern fans, central fans, you know, they'll Andrew Graham: Well, in and this is I Connor Earegood: buy. Andrew Graham: I know this is like easy pickings, but like Miami fans barely show up to Miami home games when they're not good games. Hell, when they're even good games, they barely show up. So that's Connor Earegood: Yeah. Andrew Graham: mostly because their stadium's like forty minutes off campus, but that's a whole nother matter. Connor Earegood: Yeah. Andrew Graham: But yeah, no, that's actually an interesting thought. Any any early Notre Dame thoughts since that that's I I will say since we're like riffing here at the end, the Michigan State Notre Dame rivalry to me Is quietly one of the greatest rivalries in college sports, and it's a shame that it has not been played for however long it's been here. Like just truly one of those Well, Connor Earegood: Yeah. And like an eth ethical rivalry. Andrew Graham: and just truly one of those, like at the heart of like the soul of this game of just like all the different stuff that's happened throughout the years, it's just these two Midwestern programs that like actually really don't have anything in common. Connor Earegood: Yeah. Andrew Graham: Like, they really don't. But they just have developed this rivalry over the years and it's great and it's had like some Connor Earegood: Yeah. Well Andrew Graham: iconic plays like Golden Tate leaping into Connor Earegood: And for all the Andrew Graham: the MSU marching van, little giants, like I can it's Connor Earegood: Yeah. Andrew Graham: so many of them. Connor Earegood: The other side of it too is it was such a wholesome start, like with the spaghetti and meatball contract. Notre Dame like throws MSU a bone, tries to get them into the Big Ten with a tougher schedule, it works. And then you have nineteen sixty six and Yeah, so we wanna win a natty, so we're gonna run the clock out. And MSU was seething, and I think that's the start of a lot of the sort of like the anger and animosity in the MSU fan base, I think you can pinpoint to that moment. And I'm gonna talk to Tom Shanahan for his story this week. I'll have to ask him about that if he's identified that. but it is so interesting to see like the year over year progression of a rivalry that's now been dormant since what, twenty seventeen? Andrew Graham: Sounds right. Connor Earegood: Something like that. So almost Andrew Graham: Yeah. Connor Earegood: a decade, right? Nine seasons. Michigan State's in a completely different territory than it was that season. and and has gone through so much turmoil. So Andrew Graham: yeah. Notre Dame is for that matter too. Connor Earegood: Notre Dame as well. but obvious you know, Freeman, y I think the last time Yeah. The last time they lost a game at home to an unranked was the back to back Marshall and NIU in early Andrew Graham: Oof. Connor Earegood: season non conference games. But they've polished it since then. And CJ Carr looks like he's kneeling. He's been touched once and he has six touchdowns to no interception. So that's for John Matteir out there, that's a Heisman stat line so far. So we'll see how he does. We'll see Andrew Graham: Admittedly I John Connor Earegood: if the D line that MSU likes is able to do anything, but Andrew Graham: John Mateer didn't get to play against Rice this week, so I'll I'll throw it in Connor Earegood: Yeah. Andrew Graham: that one. He he looked good against UTEP, so there's hope for Bryce Underwood. Connor Earegood: His defense didn't get five forced fumbles. Who that's Andrew Graham: god. Whoa. Connor Earegood: all you heard from Rice. Who solar plexus. Right here. Andrew Graham: I'll the I I'll post it along when I post the the episode on like social media so people have like reference for this. But I found the I saw this clip on Instagram the other day of like an arena football hit and someone someone said it sounds like a mortal combat fatality. And I have been incapable of getting that out of my head for like three days now. So you just thank you for giving me license Connor Earegood: Just spirit. Andrew Graham: to share that. That it's that it's Connor Earegood: That's it. Andrew Graham: like in all that for like thirty grand a year, but so don't play arena football, kids. It's it's bad for your health. Connor Earegood: Love of the game. Love of the game. Andrew Graham: all right, that's that's before we just fully go off the rails here at the end. that is all for me and Connor on this Monday. we'll be back later in the week picking games and previewing the weekend and Michigan State Notre Dame is really the crown jewel of an otherwise not terribly interesting weekend in the mitten, but we will we will get you through all of it, I promise. for Connor Eargood, I'm Andrew Graham and thank you for listening.